One of the most ubiquitous herbs in British cookery, parsley is also popular in European and…

Method

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/ gas 4. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Season the chicken, then cook for 10 mins or until browned on both sides. Remove and put in a large baking dish with the dry couscous.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the onions and garlic, and cook for 5 mins until softened. Add the zest and juice of 1 lemon along with the stock, cumin, cinnamon and dates, then bring to the boil.

Pour the date mixture over the chicken and couscous, sprinkle over the almonds, cover with foil and bake for 20 mins. Serve sprinkled with the remaining zest and parsley.

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Comments, questions and tips

I made the stock up to 500ml as others advised and the couscous was fine, but I had to turn the oven up and cook the chicken for a bit longer, without the foil, as it seemed a little underdone. I kept the couscous warm until the chicken was thoroughly cooked, as I didn't want that to overcook and dry out. Next time, I will cook the chicken for longer before putting it in with the couscous.

catie74

2nd Dec, 2015

Used 500ml stock and kept the skin on the chicken. You can remove it at the end if you want but it kept the chicken moist. Just served with a green salad. lovely

gbswales

29th Oct, 2014

I made this to use some dates that a friend brought back from Morocco and have to say it tasted good.
As another person suggested the quantity of liquid needed to be increased - I used 450ml but I reckon 500 would have been even better. It may depend on the brand of couscous as I used standard stuff because sainsburys didn't have wholemeal

dardo

13th Feb, 2014

Didnt work so well for me. The couscous was lovely and the chicken flavour nice but too chewy

dardo

10th Feb, 2014

Added a bit more stock than it said and couscous came out lovely. Thought the chicken thighs were a bit chewy

jweg1210

9th May, 2013

3.05

Couldn't find wholewheat couscous anywhere (don't tell me, I should have tried Waitrose! ). This cooked beautifully, and tasted nice, but its very dry - I would have liked a thin carrot tagine/stew to go with it.

huguesk

5th Mar, 2013

5.05

Really easy to make followed it to the letter. My wife and I will be making it again.

helenbee21

9th Feb, 2013

4.05

Delicious but needed double the liquid to make the couscous rehydrate.

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